Numerous dental appliances for snore reduction, improving obstructive sleep apnea, and reducing trauma to the dentition during sleep are known in the art. Equally numerous is a variety of design differences that share common characteristics in form and function, which fail to properly correct the problems. The present invention improves and corrects these problems more efficiently.
These former various devices mechanically restrict the movement of the hard and soft tissue of the oral cavity. They also require a protrusion of the jaw, to increase intraoral space essential to accomodate the tongue and to increase the oral pharyngeal airway space. In addition, a common characteristic of the prior art devices is infringement upon the intraoral space with a variety of custom fitted palatal plates, clasps, arch wires tongue retracters, uvala telescope and incisal guides in addition to covering the teeth. Furthermore, a common problem with all of these devices is clearly that they are very discomforting to the user.
These prior devices are restrictive to soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. The stated discomfort is inconsistent with the sleep induced state of muscle physiology and the anatomical repositioning of the jaw. Snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, and occlusal trauma are viewed as one entity for the purpose of this invention, that can best be addressed through a retraining and toning of the related muscle groups, increasing the intermaxillary space, and by not encroaching upon the available oral cavity space. However, no known device addresses these problems.